Valentino Rossi at Brands Hatch this weekend in GT World Challenge Europe

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi will race at Brands Hatch for the second time this weekend as he continues his transition to four-wheel competition.

The 44-year-old Italian drew a huge crowd to the West Kingsdown circuit last year when he drove an Audi R8 in GT World Challenge Europe.

He will compete in the same championship this weekend but will share a BMW M4 GT3 with Maxime Martin in two one-hour races.

The seven-time MotoGP world champion has stayed with top Belgian team WRT this season and will again race with his famous #46.

“Last year I started racing seriously in cars and I finished my first season with the WRT team with whom I got on very well and I am very happy the WRT team chose BMW as a new partner," Rossi said.

"I think we could be competitive this season. I still have a lot to learn and improve, but I hope to be up to the task and fast enough to fight during the race weekends.”

Before last year's event, Rossi had only sampled the challenging 2.4-mile Grand Prix circuit on a simulator.

He spun twice in practice on the opening day – first at Graham Hill Bend and later at Stirlings – but managed to qualify 17th for race one.

In the first race, he narrowly avoided a crash at the first corner to finish 13th with team-mate Frederic Vervisch, before improving in the second encounter to score points in eighth.

Practice and qualifying for this weekend’s GT World Challenge Europe event will take place on Saturday before two one-hour races on Sunday.

Adult tickets cost £23 on Saturday and £35 on Sunday. Under 13s go free.